Modern Organic Wallpaper Made From Natural Materials
From nontoxic grasscloth wallpaper, to earth friendly cork, to decadent pearlescent shells—we have your walls covered. Naturally & beautifully.
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At Healthier Homes, quality matters as much as the materials. For us, it's all about how it's made.
The Healthier Homes team curates wallpaper and wallcoverings collections made from pure and natural materials like stone, solid wood, grasses, minerals, cork and waterbased inks. Our partners and suppliers share the same passion as us for high quality and purity standards. We're proud to set the bar for clean, safe and durable essential living products.
What is Organic Wallpaper?
Organic wallpaper can boost your home's aesthetic and make over a space in less than a day. Not only does natural wallpaper offer sound dampening, but it’s also inviting and warming for just about any room in your home. Non toxic wallpaper made from natural materials can also offer a deeper connection with nature, which is an important part of biophilic design.
Made from sustainable materials, natural wallpaper uses exotic grasses, tree bark, sand, shells, and cork to name just a few. These elements create room concepts that are natural, elegant, and sophisticated. Each material brings unique characteristics and loads of natural texture to your walls.
Keep in mind that organic wallpapers come in a range of natural colors. When choosing which organic wallpaper is best for your next project, give some thought to the aspects you’d like to enhance and highlight within your space. Also, what is the functionality of the room? Make sure your wallpaper is functional in the space. More on functionality in just a moment.
How to Mix in Wall Art with Your Organic Wallpaper
Organic inspired wall art offers a fresh approach to interior design. This style merges the sleek, clean lines of modern design with organic materials. The result? A captivating visual that brings both refinement and warmth to any space. The beauty of wall art can be amplified to look stunning on the right backdrop, such as wallpaper... When choosing wallpaper as an artwork backdrop, choose a solid color or vaguely patterned wallpaper.
Featuring wallpaper with a minimal or vague pattern means you don’t detract from the beauty of your artwork. A good choice would be a solid color wood veneer or solid grasscloth wallpaper for a texture rich wall that’s fit to showcase your unique wall art.
What are Non-Toxic Wallpapers Made Of?
We can use design to create a deeper connection with the natural outside world around us. Connecting with nature can boost our mood and even encourage focus and creativity. Using non toxic wallpaper made with organic materials found in nature is a great way to add warmth and connect your space with nature. Use wallcoverings that are crafted from materials such as leaves, sand, grasses, minerals, glass beads, mother of pearl and cork. We take pride is sourcing natural wallpaper options that are unpasted and made from 100% chemical free, inert materials.
These breathable materials naturally resist mold and feature water-based inks that are applied via a smoke-free system. A smoke free ink system is better for the environment and for the health and wellbeing of the workers at the factory.
Cork is an uncommon, non toxic wallpaper material that’s organic with especially intriguing properties. It comes from the bark of a European oak tree that’s harvested every nine years, making it a highly sustainable product. It’s known for its cozy appeal and comes in fun stylish metallic colors. But perhaps the most unique attribute about cork wallpaper is its sound dampening properties. Cork is one the most effective sound dampeners known, making it a wonderful addition to a home theater, office, walkways, or anywhere you’d like to cut back on ambient echoes and noise. Even just one cork covered wall makes a drastic difference in background noise. (Fun fact - we’ve used cork bricks in our healthy home building projects to mitigate vibrations and noise from HVAC components.)
Moreover, other sustainable wallpaper options include natural fibers like grasses (grasscloth wallpaper) and woven jute, known as the "golden fiber." These fibers are 100% biodegradable and compostable. Similarly, sisal and hemp can be woven in different fashions to add a variety of textures and patterns, such as the classic herringbone or chevron pattern.
Remember, most natural materials are either recyclable or biodegradable and compostable at the end of their useful life. Another great reason to go for natural wallcovering!
What Types of Toxins and Chemicals are in Typical Wallpapers?
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) in wallpapers is not only troubling but is also widely used. While durable and easy to wipe clean, PVC is made from vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. It also contains phthalates and other chemicals that offgas into the air and are harmful to people and pets with chronic exposure over time. If you’re familiar with the smell of a beach ball or typical plastic shower curtain, PVC is what you’re smelling.
PVC and vinyl wallpaper can’t breathe, which makes it a trap for moisture and eventual mold growth. Vinyl wallcoverings are often covered with other chemical coatings for commercial purposes like fire retardants and stain repellants. It’s important to be avoid flame retardants used in wallpapers. They disrupt your hormones which can trigger a domino effect of health issues.
Typical wallpapers may also include PFAS for water and stain resistance. These 'forever chemicals' harm your immune function and fertility. Phthalates and BPA also make wallpaper flexible but interfere with your hormones, too. Look out for formaldehyde, another suspected carcinogen that is known to be a potent sensitizer. Chronic exposure indoors to formaldehyde, even at low levels, may eventually lead to chronic allergies, rashes, immune system issues and more serious chronic health issues.
Our best advice is to steer clear of anything vinyl on your walls. A much safer alternative that’s also economical and easy to clean is PVC free wallpaper made from nonwoven inert plastics called polyolefins. Whether you’re looking for elegant organic modern wallpaper or something more fun and simple, opt for non toxic wallpaper that’s completely free from hazardous pollutants. This is why using our eco friendly alternatives for your non toxic wallpaper installations is so important. As healthy home pioneers, finding non toxic wallpaper has been one of our most challenging (and most rewarding) missions as of yet!
What are the Benefits of Eco Friendly Wallpaper?
Eco friendly wallpaper crafted from natural materials is a wonderful way to complement any interior, enhancing a range of designs, from boldly contemporary to subtly bohemian. The tactile richness of eco friendly materials are perfect for any style and size space. Remember that non toxic wallpaper lessens environmental impact by using natural, untreated materials that are also renewable and don’t require a lot of processing. Many are handmade by artisans, too! Each natural wallcovering is unique and provides a beautiful story to showcase on your walls.
Everything you need to know when choosing nontoxic wallpaper.
First Consider the Design of Your Organic Modern Wallpaper
Looking for spa like tranquility in a yoga room? Maybe an energetic workout room is more your speed? Perhaps you’re searching for the perfect wallpaper for an entry with modern organic decor? Or even a fun and colorful space like a kid’s room. The organic wallpaper you select can elevate or establish the mood, so begin by envisioning the desired ambiance for your living space.
For a serene and calming effect, opt for organic modern style with soft colors like whites, ivory, pastels or neutral colors. Natural textures are wonderful in this setting. To encourage relaxation, try to avoid loud contrasting colors or patterns. Also nontoxic wallpapers in greys, off-whites, and blues evoke a chill experience.
To add some pizazz and glam to a space, opt for iridescent capiz shells, metallic cork or elegant wood veneer wallcoverings. Even dark and moody basketweave organic wallpapers can infuse modern organic elegance that makes a glamorous statement.
How to Choose Wallpaper Color?
Dive into the spectrum of natural colors with modern organic wallpaper. Synthetic versions of these natural materials simply can't mimic the true colors from nature. From soothing greens and deep browns to vibrant blues and understated beiges. These shades are drawn straight from mother earth.
Greens symbolize growth and renewal. Hues like moss, olive, and grass green bring authenticity to your decor. Browns and beiges are inspired by tree bark and natural fibers like sisal and hemp. They create a warm, earthy base, perfect for any room. While greys, from light birch to weathered wood, add tranquility to your home.
Designer tips for choosing non toxic wallpaper
Looking to choose new organic modern wallpaper for your home? Start with identifying the focal point of your room. It could be a large window, a cozy fireplace, or even a piece of artwork. You can use the wallpaper to draw attention to this focal point.
Maybe instead you’re just wanting to jazz up a boring space! Try something like large geometrical patterns found in nature or a bold jungle leaf designs that add color and pop to an otherwise dull corner.
Introducing a wallpaper accent wall in a kid’s room is a wonderful opportunity to inspire creativity and fun through colorful patterns and whimsical designs. Go for a paper pattern with colors that are neutral, muted or pastel. Try to stay away from intense bold colors or busy patterns, so the wall remains an accent wall and not too overbearing or overstimulating. Patterns with animals or biophilic designs are always a great choice.
A note on peel and stick wallpaper
Remember if you’re looking for PVC free peel and stick wallpaper, make sure it’s also healthy in other respects. Be sure to do your research to make sure your non toxic peel and stick wallpaper is made with VOC free adhesives, water based inks and no PVC coatings or backings.
The best (and worst) places to install wallpaper
Bedrooms, living rooms, dining areas, powder rooms and offices are at the top of this list for amazing places to add modern organic wallpaper to your space. Avoid using organic wallpapers in high humidity areas like kitchens, laundry rooms and bathrooms. In well-chosen settings, your organic wallpapers enhance your home and promote a healthy environment. Of course, don’t use wallpaper coverings outdoors. Instead go for large pots or metal artwork to add style and character to lonely walls outdoors.
Our top wallpaper installation tips!
First, look at the walls in the room where you want to add wallpaper. Find walls that have an easy end point for your wallpaper to die into -- another words, where the wall meets at a ninety degree angle. You’ll want to avoid ending your wallpaper at doorways or where the walls wrap around a corner at 270 degrees.
Next, consider how permanent you want your wallpaper to be. Most natural wallpaper is removable via a term called ‘wet removable’. This means you can remove the wallpaper from the wall with water. There is also non toxic wallpaper that’s strippable, meaning chemicals are required to remove the wallpaper from the wall. The advantage over natural materials is these strippable wallpapers are washable with a wet rag and mild soap, should stains happen.
For much more helpful info on figuring how much wallpaper to purchase and installation FAQs, check out our blog post on how to measure and install wallpaper here!
Non toxic wallpaper, in a nutshell
In a nutshell, natural wallpaper harmonizes well with various design styles—from Scandinavian to traditional style, and rustic ranch to ultra contemporary. To up your space, we recommend introducing natural elements like woven grasses, embossed tree bark, or wood veneer for your wallpaper design. Be sure to avoid wallcoverings with PVC laminates. PVC wallpaper that is touted as durable and stainproof can offgas harmful plastic fumes for many years. Also avoid wallpapers with already glued backings. Look for wallpapers that say “ready to glue” or “paste the paper.”